The tragic bar fire in Crans-Montana is a stark reminder of how unpredictable, uncertain and fragile life can be, declared Swiss President Guy Parmelin in a keynote speech to Swiss People’s Party members in Zurich on Friday. He described Switzerland as being "almost permanently in crisis mode". + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Referring to the deadly fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, which killed 40 people on New Year's Eve and seriously injured 116 others, Parmelin said the unpredictable had become the rule and Switzerland, and by extension the Federal Council, had been "almost continuously in crisis mode" for several years. After an eventful 2025, the Vaud minister in charge of the economics ministry said he had prepared himself for the fact that many things could not be planned during his term as Swiss president. However, it was unimaginable that "the impossible" would happen so soon into 2026, he said. “The tragedy in Crans-Montana ...
